How Does Website Hosting Work?
Website Hosting
Website Hosting is the pillar of your online presence, allowing users access to your website over the internet. To understand how website hosting works is vital for someone looking to create a digital presence on the World Wide Web. Whether it is a private blog, a business website, or even an online store that one needs to establish, this working knowledge helps. Essentially, website hosting comprises of storing your website’s information in the form of data files on a server, and enabling visitors to access this data over the internet.
Server basics
A server is basically a powerful computer that stays connected to the internet perpetually. These servers are maintained in data centers by Hosting Companies. The data centers are equipped with high-speed internet connections, high security processes and adequate backup power supply to guarantee continuous access to the website.
Uploading Website Files
When a website is created, various files such as HTML, JavaScript, CSS, images, and videos are generated. Collectively they form your website’s content. Uploading all these files on to a server is how you can make them available to users when they search for your business on the internet.
Domain Name System (DNS)
Your website needs to have a domain name (for example, https://mywebsite.com). When a visitor types in your domain name in a web browser, a request is sent to the Domain Name System or DNS server to convert the domain name into an IP address. An IP address is a unique set of numbers that can be identified by a server.
Hosting Servers and IP Address
The DNS server in turn directs this request to the hosting company’s server where your domain is hosted. Every server has an IP (Internet Protocol) address. An IP address on the internet is akin to the street address of a physical location.
Retrieving Website Content
When the browser gets to know the IP address, it directly connects to the hosting server seeking the website’s files. The server in turn sends those files to be displayed on the browser in the form of a web page. Thus, the user gets access to the data stored on the hosting server.
